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Raayan, a simpleton patriarch has to protect his family when they inadvertently get muddled in a violent world with whirlpool of murder, debauchery, feud, politics and power, a quagmire that he has repeatedly warned them not to get pulled into.
Critic Consensus
Critical reception for Raayan is mixed-to-moderate, with most reviewers acknowledging Dhanush's craft in building an emotionally grounded revenge drama but stopping short of calling it a success. AR Rahman's background score and Dhanush's performance as an actor were singled out for praise across multiple reviews. The most consistent criticism concerns the writing, particularly in the second half, where critics felt the film retreats into familiar genre territory and fails to elevate an ordinary revenge story into something distinctive. Several reviewers noted that the film falls short of the standards set by Dhanush's prior work both as an actor and director.
7 rated reviews · 5 positive · 1 mixed · 1 negative
AI-generated summary of 9 critic reviews · may contain errors
Report inaccuracyCritic Reviews (9)
Updated“Raayan presents old wine in a slightly different and interesting new bottle, offering a familiar yet somewhat fresh take on the revenge thriller genre.”Read full review ↗
“Dhanush deserves credit for imagining a visually rich, edgy action thriller which is enhanced by a fascinating background score from A R Rahman. What also lets down Raayan is the failure to turn an ordinary revenge story into something extraordinary that we haven't seen before. Overall, Raayan is an interesting one-time watch written for the masses with a little meat here and there for the critics to bite on.”Read full review ↗
“Dhanush, the actor and director, stands tall in a film powered by AR Rahman's brilliant music, and top-notch performances only to fall just short of realising its potential. Despite all this coming together, the fact that Raayan doesn't soar high enough is a disappointment.”Read full review ↗
“Dhanush ensures that we never forget that this is first and foremost an emotionally charged drama, so despite all the heroism and bloodshed that we see on screen (the filmmakers also deserve praise for going with the 'A' rating) , we care for how the events affect the bond between these brothers and their sister. That is his biggest success as a director.”Read full review ↗
“Dhanush, in his second directorial, brilliantly mounts a world true to the genre and even achieves emotional connect, which soon falters as the writing struggles to maintain the momentum established in the first half.”Read full review ↗
“Dhanush donned the hat of director, actor and writer for his 50th film. The revenge thriller is riveting, but not without flaws.”Read full review ↗
“Dhanush scores as an actor, fails as director. After the not-so-impressive 'Captain Miller,' talented actor Dhanush returns with another directorial venture 'Raayan,' which fails to live up to expectations.”Read full review ↗
“Dhanush's directorial totally packs a punch. AR Rahman delivers a brilliant background score that elevates the film.”Read full review ↗
“But to much dismay, this is all we get to know about him in the film, and the writing of his character contributes to Raayan falling short of all its promises, opting for a worn-out route, and ending up on a disappointing note. Raayan, however, neither holds up to the standards of the actor in Asuran nor the director in Pa Paandi.”Read full review ↗
Cast & Crew
Cast
- Dhanush · Kathavaraayan 'Raayan'
- Dushara Vijayan · Durga
- Sundeep Kishan · Muthuvelraayan 'Muthu'
- Kalidas Jayaram · Manickavelraayan 'Manickam'
- S. J. Suryah · Sethuraman 'Sethu'
- Selvaraghavan · Sekhar
- Aparna Balamurali · Mekhala
- Prakash Raj · R. Sargunam
- Saravanan · Durai
- Varalaxmi Sarathkumar · Sethu's first wife
- Ilavarasu · Meghalai's Father
- Divya Pillai · Annam Sethuraman
- Devadarshini · Doctor
- Aranthangi Nisha · Police officer
- Karthick Anjaneyan · Anjaneyan
Details
- Release Date
- 26 July 2024
- Runtime
- 2h 23m
- Language
- Tamil
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